Too Far Gone
by Hared
Summary: It's been a year since Booth disappeared and Temperance can't stop seeing him in the faces of the victims at the Jeffersonian. She is starting to crush under the weight of life and she doesn't know who to turn to with her partner gone.
1. One Year

It's been about 15 years since the current events of Bones. Brennan has a son now who is 14 and Christine is now a senior in high school.

Review if i you like and make suggestions if you want

* * *

"Dr. Brennan?" An intern interrupts the anthropologists line of thought, "A body is being brought in now." The intern announces.

"Thank you." She mutters vaguely, squinting at her computer screen before closing it. She looks back and the intern is gone. She is met halfway to the platform by Angela, "Good morning," Brennan greets her best friend.

"Are you okay sweetie?" Angela prods.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" She shrugs. She slides her card and walks onto the platform. She snaps on a pair of gloves and examines the clean bones on the table.

"You know what day it is, don't you." Angela tries to catch her friend's eyes.

"Of course I do, its Thursday," Brennan comments, she stares intently at the skull.

"It's also been a year since Booth went missing," Angela says, nodding.

"I know that," Brennan says under her breath, "Judging by the pelvis the victim is male," She says a bit louder, "The shape and size of the eye sockets suggest Caucasian.

"Are you alright Sweetie?" Asks, "It's a hard day, why are you even here?"

"Why are these bones clean?" She asks Dr. Saroyan as she steps onto the platform.

"They were found like this Dr. Brennan," Saroyan mutters, taken aback slightly by the question.

"Good," Brennan says with confidence, "Angela can get a facial reconstruction?" She looks up at Angela who is looking back at her. Angela is looking back at her, stunned but nods.

"Of course," She picks up the skull.

"I'll be back," Brennan addresses Saroyan. She catches up to Angela.

"You didn't answer my question," Angela states.

"I know Angela," Brennan says, "I am okay," She mutters, "Really." She adds when she catches her friend's worried eye.

"I'll have his face in less than an hour," Angela says.

"I know Angela," Brennan comments, "Do you think it could be…"

"Honey, you can't think like that." Angela shakes her head. They step into her office. "And besides, look at the skull, this guy doesn't have the right jawline."

"I hope you're right." She peers at the skull briefly.

"You do this with every male victim Brennan, you have to stay positive," Angela puts the skull on her desk. "Let me do the reconstruction and Ill call you as soon as I am done, it's my priority."

Brennan nods and leaves Angela to her work.

* * *

"Are you done yet?" Brennan exclaims as she storms into the room, "It's been an hour Angela."

"Sorry, sweetie I was just about to come and get you." Angela apologizes. "It's not booth." She brings up the face of the victim on the Angeletron, "It's David Freeman."

"No, I'm sorry Ange," Brennan shakes her head, "I'm a bit on edge and…"She starts to tear up, "and this victim seemed so close, I thought it might have been him."

Angela steps closer and reaches out her arms. Brennan falls into them and her face into Angela's shoulder. She sobs harder, "It's okay Brennan."

"It's not Angela," She continues to sob harder, "Statistically speaking booth is…" she gasps, "He's…" She can't complete the sentence.

"Forget statistics," Angela says, Brennan steps away from her, "Don't give me that Brennan, you know Booth is out there in your heart and that is all that matters."

"I know Angela." Brennan nods, wiping under here eyes.

"Go home," Angela commands, "Cam will understand, you have interns who can catalog the bone damage."

"I cant go home Angela," Brennan shakes her head, "What am I going to do at home?"

"Be with your kids?" Angela says, "I'm sure Christine has a Harvard application to fill out." She smiles.

Brennan grins, "She filled that out last week, but I'll go, I probably wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway."

"Have a good day Brennan, try and forgot all this." Angela rubs her arm. Brennan nods, agreeing with her.

* * *

"Mom." Christine climbs into the front seat, "Why aren't you at work?" She asks.

"I got off early," She nods and grips her steering wheel.

"Can you help me with my Cornell essay?" Christine asks.

"Of course," Brennan nods and smiles at her daughter, "There's your brother." She comments as a young man enters the back seat.

She looks at his face in the rear view mirror and her smile fades slightly. "Hey mom," he murmurs.

"Good afternoon Joe." Brennan says with a smile. She starts the car.

"It's been a year since dad disappeared," Joe breaks the silence in the car.

"Shut up Joe." Christine snaps.

"No, it's okay Christine," Brennan assures, "We cant ignore the fact that it happened."

"He's dead," Christine says, "Statistically…"

"Shut Up!" Joe yells, "Stop it with the statistics, don't you think he could be alive?"

"It's not possible." Christine argues back.

"Be quiet!" Brennan yells over them both. "I don't want to hear any more of this, please just stop." She pulls into the driveway and looks over them both, "I'm going to take a nap, no one bother me." She gets out of the car and slams the door behind her.

She throws herself on her bed and covers her eyes and falls into an uneasy sleep.


	2. New Partner

Okay, here is Chapter Two.

* * *

"Bones." She hasn't been called that in months. "Bones." The voice comes again and she is in her kitchen. She is sitting at the island, a plate of pancakes in front of her. "Bones, are you listening?" She looks up and Booth is standing there, starting at her.

"Booth!" She exclaims. She practically throws herself at him.

"Yeah, it's me." She chuckles, "I will telling you that I have something to do today, I'll be back tonight."

"Wait," She looks down at her shirt, and over to his tie. She puts her hand on her side and moves her hand down. She is living the moment that she last saw Booth again.

"You can't go." She looks up but Booth isn't standing there anymore. There is a skeleton standing in his place. It's mandible open and a laugh comes out. She screams and runs out of the house. There are skeletons all around. She twirls around and screams as she falls to the ground.

She curls up in a ball and cries. She screams again and sits up.

She is in her bed. She is sweating and crying. She instinctively puts her hand next to her, but she grabs only the bed sheet. She looks over and a tear falls from her eye and rolls down her cheek. She lies back down and closes her eyes.

"Booth." She mutters.

She bolts up again and throws her legs off of the bed. She stands and picks clothes out of her closet she throws them on. She finds a piece of paper and scribbles a note to the kids, making sure to leave the car key.

She heads straight to the lab.

There is no one there, but of course there wouldn't be. It's 4 in the morning. Only the security guard is there to keep her company but she doesn't feel like talking. The bones from the victim from the day before await her in the exam room.

She shoves her earphones in her ears and immerses herself in her work. She looks over each and every bone. It doesn't seem long but before she knows someone joins her.

"Dr. Brennan?" It's an intern, one of her favorites.

"Mr. Sampson." She acknowledges him.

"What are you doing Dr. Brennan?" The intern asks.

"My work of course," She moves the cam over the area she is looking at, "Look at the micro-fractures on this rib," She comments.

"I noted them in my report Dr. Brennan." He points to the binder next to Brennan.

"But you couldn't have noted that they were likely caused by compression to the chest," She mutters, shaking her head.

"I did actually," He walks over and opens the binder, "Here," He points to his finding. "You look tired," He comments.

"That in now way affects the level of my work," She snaps, "Now tell me about the body, please."

"Okay," He looks at her skeptically. "As you mentioned there are fractures on the 4th right rib, as well as the ribs above and below it," He points to the ribs he is indicating, "I believe that the victim was given improper CPR."

"That would certainly cause death," Brennan nods. She looks closer at the ribs, "Good job, get this information to Agent Kingston and see what he makes of it, and I'll be in my office." She removes her gloves with a snap.

She meets a man half way to her office, "Temperance." He says.

"Good morning Kingston." She greets him, "I found fractures on the ribs of the victim that suggests he underwent bad CPR."

"That's great Temperance," He says. He follows her to her office, "Do you want to be there when I interview the victims mother?" He asks, "We just found her."

"No, I have work here to do." She turns her computer on, "I wouldn't be much help, and my time is best spent here."

"We are supposed to be partners Temperance," He says, "It's time you started acting like it."

She doesn't look up at him. "You are just the bridge between the Jeffersonian and the FBI, take Hodgins with you, everyone knows he wants to go out in the field."

He grimaces at the though,"Booth has been gone more then long enough, the fact that I have his job doesn't mean anything." He says. "I don't plan on living up to him, we have murders to catch"

"Good, because you could never live up to him." She looks up at him, "We can catch murdered if I am sitting here, or in your car. We will probably be more successful with me in the lab."

"I'm going to go interview the mother," He gives up with a heavy sigh, "I'll call you if she says anything." She nods and turns all of her focus on her computer. He takes on last look at her before he walks away.

* * *

"Sweetie, it's time for lunch." Angela appears in the doorway just after noon. "You have to eat."

"Just a sec," closes a few windows and joins her friend, "What do you have?" She points at a sketchpad under Angela's arms.

"Just a sketch for Dr. Edison," She opens the pad and shows Brennan. "more remains from a thousand years ago."

Brennan just looks blankly at it. Staring back at her is Booth. Angela has drawn Booth in her sketchpad. She snatches it from her, "That's not right!" She yells.

People in the general are staring. "This is Booth." She shoves the picture in Angela's face.

"Look at it sweetie, it's not Booth, it's a thousand year old nethanderal." Angela covers her face.

Brennan looks again, and the nethanderal stares back at her. Her face reddens. "Sorry." She mutters.

"You've been thinking about him, haven't you?" Angela asks, "More than usual anyway?"

"Yes, I can't help it." Brennan nods.

"I understand." Angela nods.

"You really don't Angela, you still have your husband," Brennan scolds, "You get to see him everyday. You know where he is right now, you know he's alive!"

"I didn't mean it that way Sweetie," She says sheepishly, "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Brennan shakes her head. "I should be thanking you, not yelling at you."

"Lets have a good lunch." Angela nods with an assuring look on her face.

* * *

Review!


	3. An Unexpected Guest

A/N: Thanks to everyone who is follow/favoriting and reviewing!

* * *

Brennan gasps and jolts up out of bed. She is sweating. She wipes her forehead with the back of her hand and check the time of the alarm clock beside her. It's a little after 6am, the latest she has slept in months.

She gets out of bed and takes a quick shower. Down stairs in the kitchen she starts making breakfast. It isn't long before Christine joins her.

"I haven't seen you before school in a long time." She comments as she sits across from her.

"I haven't had a good night sleep in just as long," Brennan shrugs.

"You don't need to go to the lab?" Christine says, biting her lip.

"No, we solved the case," Brennan ladles the waffle batter onto the hot griddle, "We are waiting for another."

"I see…" Christine looks over her shoulder.

"What is it Christine?" Brennan walks around the counter.

"Nothing mom, just keep making waffles." Christine blurts.

Brennan turns the corner into the living room and catches a foot running away. "Who's there?" Brennan yells, "Stay here Christine," She commands, "Someone is here." She edges up the stairs.

"It's probably Joe," Christine assures. She follows her mom.

"Joe is in the shower," Brennan observes.

"Mom, it's no one." Christine pleads.

"I saw that foot," She opens the hall closet, and jumps into attack position. But here are only towels.

"Your waffle is burning." Christine follows her mom further down the hall.

"In there." Brennan points to the closet at the end of the hall. "Come out of there." She yells, "I've got a gun." She lies.

"Mom, no one is in there!" Christine pleads.

Brennan edges towards the door and cautiously takes the doorknob. She thrusts it open and a boy falls out. He falls on his face and lays sprawled on the ground.

"Michael Hodgins?" Brenna grabs the boy by the arm, "What are you doing here?" She asks, looking him in the face.

"I…uh," He stumbles.

Brennan looks at his hair, it is messy and his clothes are wrinkled, "You didn't," She stammers, she looks back at her daughter, "You didn't," She looks back at Michael, "Wait until your mother hears about this." She drags him down the stairs.

"Mom!" Christine calls, she follows her mom. "We didn't do anything, we were studying."

Brennan ignores her. she lets go of Michael and picks up the phone. "Angela? Is Michael there?" She asks as she eyes down the two, "I think you'll find it interesting where I found him." She adds, as she grins slightly.

* * *

"I can't believe my son and your daughter…"Angela shakes her head. She locks her car and walks over to Brennan.

"What about them?" Brennan asks, "They claim they were studying."

"You believe that?" Angela looks at her square in the face, "You cant be naïve enough to believe they were just studying. The times I told my mom that I was studying," she emphasizes studying.

"I don't believe that Christine could lie to me," Brennan shakes her head. They step into the elevator. "She tells me everything."

"Well maybe their initial plans were to study, and one thing led to another…" Angela tails off. "Sweetie, they are teenagers. Why else would Mike have been hiding from you if they were only studying?"

"I don't know…"Brennan contemplates, "Do you think that Michael would…"She trails off, waving her hand.

"I don't know…" She shakes her head, "But it's not the first time Michael has slept at your house." They step into the lab.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Brennan questions.

"Honestly, I thought you knew." Angela shrugs, "Don't worry about it, if they had sex last night you know they were safe. Both of them are smart enough to know how to be safe."

"That's not very reassuring." Brenna shakes her head.

Agent Kingston walks up behind them "Lets go Temperance we have a body."

"Good luck with that," Angela touches her arm for a split second and walks away.

* * *

"It appears the victim is male," Brennan comments, squatting down next to the body, "there is a lot of flesh left," She looks up at Cam. There is a large tree behind Cam and over the body.

"There is just enough missing for you to help," Cam says.

"The victim was around 20," She touches the leg, "I cant give much else right now, there is too much flesh in the way," She examines the jacket the body is wearing, "Though based on the cuts in the jacket the body was stabbed repeatedly."

"Looks brutal." Cam comments. Brennan stands a nods, "I heard about this morning," Cam comments.

"It was nothing," Brennan insists, "They were studying."

"Two kids left alone to their own devices?" Cam speculates, "I think a little more than studying went on." Brennan takes her gloves off.

"I don't see why anyone thinks that." Brennan snaps.

"We were all teenagers once." Cam shrugs.

"I was more worried about grades," Brennan says, "And I know Christine is too."

"Even you have to admit Dr. Brennan, hormones make a person do crazy things." Cam points out.

"Maybe I should ask Christine," Brennan speculates, "It couldn't hurt to ask." Cam nods. Maybe Christine did have sex with Michael. Would she even tell her the truth? "I certainly hope she tells me the truth." Brennan makes one final comment before trekking back to her car.


	4. The Package and The Ring

Sorry it took so long to get this part up, I'll try and have a new part up tonight!

* * *

"Joe!" Brennan calls under the weight of several grocery bags. Joe slide in on his socks a second later. "Get the rest of the bags from the trunk." She commands.

"You got a package," Joe says as he walks out to the car.

"Hey mom," Christine comes into the room, "Can we talk about this morning?" She asks.

"I don't see what we need to talk about Christine," She responds. She cuts the seal of the box with a kitchen knife. The box is surprisingly light for the size of it.

"I know," Christine admits. "We didn't have sex mom," She pauses and bites her lip, "But I like Michael." Brennan nods, "A lot mom."

Brennan doesn't look up as she opens the box flaps. "You should have asked," Brennan says. "It's like you can't trust me, Angela told me that Michael has stayed over in the past," She mutters. She looks up at her daughter and frowns.

"It's not that mom, it's not that at all." Christine shakes her head.

"What is it then Christine?" She asks, "You aren't as close to me as you were your father, I know that. We don't talk about this kind of thing, but your father is gone."

"I didn't want you to be disappointed," Christine murmurs. "I love you just as much as I loved dad."

Brennan doesn't say anything. She turns her focus on the box. She takes out a piece of foam packaging that it fit tightly within the box. There is another piece of foam on the bottom of the box that looks identical to the first, a solid block with a void as to put something between them.

"Oh, god," Brennan yelps. She nearly drops the box. But she grasps firmly on it. She is clearly shaken. Lying in the box is a finger wearing a ring.

"What is it?" Christine asks.

"I have to go to the lab." She folds the package closed again, "I'll call when I leave, we need to talk later" She grabs her purse and keys and flies out the door, nearly knocking Joe over in the process.

"Where are you going?" Joe calls after her. But she doesn't stop.

She hurries to the lab. She never takes her eye off the box in the seat next to her for longer than a minute. She runs into the lab, ignoring everyone who is trying to catch her attention.

"Cam!" She catches Cam as she is about to close up the lab.

"Dr. Brennan, what are you doing here?" She asks. She shoulders her purse, "I told you to have a good weekend at home for once, and that was an order."

"I got this in the mail," She thrusts it into her hands.

"Dr. Brennan…" Cam says exasperated, she opens the box and her mouth falls at the contents, "It's a finger," Cam croaks. She throws her purse back onto her desk and walks over to the autopsy table. She puts the box down gingerly.

"That is Booth's ring," Brenna mutters, "I got that ring for him for our 10 year anniversary."

"Dr. Brennan, stop and think rationally about this." Cam says. She puts on a pair of gloves and carefully removes the finger from the box, "We don't know that this finger belongs to Booth, that this ring isn't someone else's."

"It's got to be Booth." Brennan shakes her head.

"What is going on?" Angela pops her head into the room. "The weekend starts at 5 and the last I checked its 5:05." She says with a smile.

"It's this," Cam lifts up the finger and shows Angela.

"A finger?" Angela says in horror. She steps into the room. "Where did it come from?"

"It addressed to me, in the mail." Brennan says. Angela face drops.

"Oh, honey," She says sympathetically, "You don't think it could be?" She hesitates.

"It has Booth's ring on it Angela," Brennan shakes her head, "It has to be him." She tries not to let the tears that are on the edge of her eyes from pouring out but she can't. Angela puts her arm on her shoulders and pulls her closer.

"I am going to run DNA,," Cam says. She looks at the finger again, "Based in hemorrhagic tissue, id say the victim was alive when the finger was removed. And it couldn't have been more than a few days ago, there is hardly any decomp."

Brennan nods, "It was a non-serrated blade based on the bone, Hodgins will to confirm what kind of blade it was but I have a feeling it was a commercial kitchen knife, I've seen the injury many times." She wipes her eyes.

"Is there anything else in the box?" Angela asks.

"Another piece of packing foam that has absorbed a lot of the blood, but nothing else." Cam shakes her head. She removes the piece of foam and puts in on the table. "The foam absorbed the blood pretty well." She comments.

"Let me check out the shipping label, maybe I will be able to tell where it came from, where the label was created." Angela offers.

"Thank you Angela." Brennan mutters.

"Of course Sweetie," She bumps into her on the way out of the room.

"I would suggest you go home Dr. Brennan, but I know that is not going to happen." Cam says. "Go to your office and I'll come and get you when I am finished."

Brennan nods and heads to her office. She dials her cell phone. She rests her hand on her forehead and leans over her desk. "Christine," she says.

"When are you coming home?" Christine asks on the other end, "You left so fast, I'm worried."

"It's okay," Brennan says. "Everything is alright," She lies. She curses to herself for lying to her daughter, "Just make dinner and I'll be home before you know it."

"Alright." Christine finishes the conversation.

"The finger is not Booth's." Cam pops her head into the room. "I didn't get a hit in the database," She explains, "I'm going to try fingerprints next. I thought I would let you know so that you can go home and get some rest." She offers.

"Don't be ridiculous Cam," Brennan shakes her head, "I want to help."

"I don't see how you can," Cam shrugs, "There isn't any bones for you analyze, Angela is doing her thing and Hodgins is on the way to get particulates. You need sleep in case we need you tomorrow."

Brennan opens her mouth to retaliate, "I am not hearing it, go home and I will call you with any updates."

"Okay," She sounds annoyed, "Don't hesitate to call me." Cam nods and Brennan leaves. The whole way home she thinks of the ring. How did that finger get Booth's ring? She keeps asking her self. She goes through the scenarios a hundred times in her head and she can't come up with anything. She racks her brain and holds back the tears.


End file.
